Senior Network Architecture & Design Engineer – Cisco SD-WAN
Position Overview
The Senior Network Architecture & Design Engineer is responsible for the architecture, design, engineering, and implementation of enterprise Cisco Software-Defined WAN (SD-WAN) solutions for our client base. This position requires extensive hands-on experience with Cisco SD-WAN technologies, specifically the Cisco Catalyst 8000 Series Edge Platforms.
The engineer will lead technical design efforts and develop scalable, secure, and highly available SD-WAN solutions supporting enterprise branch offices, data centers, and distributed network environments.
The position will work closely with customers, partners, project managers, engineering teams, and other technical resources to translate business and technical requirements into comprehensive network architectures and successfully implemented solutions.
Key Responsibilities
Network Architecture & Solution Design
- Lead the architecture and design of enterprise Cisco SD-WAN solutions utilizing Cisco Catalyst 8000 Series routers.
- Develop high-level and low-level network designs (HLDs and LLDs), including network topology, routing, security, resiliency, and connectivity requirements.
- Design branch office solutions utilizing Cisco Catalyst 8000 Series 81XX platforms.
- Design data center and hub solutions utilizing Cisco Catalyst 8000 Series 85XX platforms.
- Define WAN connectivity strategies incorporating broadband, MPLS, Internet, and other transport technologies.
- Develop scalable architectures supporting multi-site, geographically distributed enterprise environments.
- Evaluate existing customer network environments and develop migration strategies from traditional WAN architectures to SD-WAN.
- Establish and leverage architecture standards, design templates, and implementation best practices.
Cisco SD-WAN Engineering & Implementation
- Design, configure, and implement Cisco SD-WAN solutions utilizing Cisco Catalyst 8000 Series routers.
- Configure and manage Cisco SD-WAN components, including:
- Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Manager
- Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Control Components
- Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN Validator Orchestrators
- Cisco WAN Edge routers
- Develop and implement routing policies, centralized policies, localized policies, and application-aware routing.
- Configure OMP, BGP, OSPF, static routing, route redistribution, and segmentation.
- Implement SD-WAN VPNs, VRFs, and network segmentation strategies.
- Configure IPsec tunnels, transport interfaces, control connections, and overlay connectivity.
- Implement QoS, traffic engineering, application-aware routing, and path selection policies.
- Configure high availability, redundancy, and failover mechanisms.
- Integrate SD-WAN solutions with existing enterprise LAN, WAN, data center, and security infrastructures.
Network Security & Resiliency
- Incorporate security requirements into SD-WAN architecture and design.
- Implement segmentation and secure connectivity between branch offices, data centers, and cloud environments.
- Design secure Internet breakout and centralized Internet access solutions.
- Integrate with security technologies such as Cisco Firepower, Secure Firewall, and other enterprise security platforms where applicable.
- Design redundant WAN connectivity and resiliency strategies to minimize service interruptions.
- Ensure designs align with customer security, compliance, and operational requirements.
Technical Leadership & Customer Engagement
- Serve as the technical design authority for assigned SD-WAN engagements.
- Lead technical discovery sessions and requirements-gathering meetings with customers.
- Present proposed network architectures, technical recommendations, and design alternatives.
- Provide technical guidance and leadership to implementation teams and Network Operations Center.
- Work with project management to develop implementation plans, migration strategies, and project deliverables.
- Participate in customer technical reviews, design walkthroughs, and implementation planning sessions.
- Identify technical risks, dependencies, and potential challenges prior to implementation.
Migration, Testing & Documentation
- Develop detailed migration plans for transitioning customers from legacy WAN environments to Cisco SD-WAN.
- Define implementation procedures, change management requirements, and rollback plans.
- Perform pre-deployment testing and validation of network designs and configurations.
- Validate routing, connectivity, application performance, resiliency, and failover functionality.
- Troubleshoot complex network and SD-WAN issues during deployment and post-implementation.
- Develop and maintain comprehensive network documentation, including:
- High-Level Designs (HLDs)
- Low-Level Designs (LLDs)
- Network diagrams and topology documentation
- Configuration templates and standards
- Implementation and migration plans
- Test plans and validation results
- As-built documentation
Operational Support & Continuous Improvement
- Provide advanced technical support and escalation assistance for complex SD-WAN environments.
- Assist operations teams with troubleshooting, performance optimization, and network stability.
- Evaluate new Cisco SD-WAN capabilities, software releases, and platform enhancements.
- Recommend network architecture improvements and opportunities for automation.
- Establish repeatable engineering practices to improve implementation consistency and efficiency.
Required Technical Qualifications
- Extensive experience designing and implementing enterprise Cisco SD-WAN solutions.
- Strong hands-on experience with Cisco Catalyst 8000 Series routers, particularly:
- 81XX platforms for branch office deployments.
- 85XX platforms for data center and hub deployments.
- Strong understanding of Cisco SD-WAN architecture, including Catalyst SD-WAN Manager, Catalyst SD-WAN Controller, Catalyst SD-WAN Validator, and WAN Edge components.
- Advanced knowledge of enterprise routing protocols, including BGP, OSPF, OMP, and route redistribution.
- Experience with IPsec, VPNs, VRFs, segmentation, QoS, and application-aware routing.
- Experience designing redundant WAN architectures and high-availability solutions.
- Experience integrating SD-WAN with enterprise LAN, data center, cloud, and security environments.
- Ability to develop comprehensive HLDs, LLDs, network diagrams, and implementation documentation.
- Strong troubleshooting, analytical, and problem-solving capabilities.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate complex technical concepts to customers and internal teams.
Preferred Qualifications
- Cisco CCNP Enterprise or CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure certification.
- Cisco SD-WAN specialization or relevant Cisco SD-WAN certifications.
- Experience with Cisco Catalyst Center and Cisco network management platforms.
- Experience and working knowledge of Cisco ThousandEyes, including network and application performance monitoring, end-to-end visibility, and troubleshooting across enterprise environments.
- Experience with cloud connectivity, including AWS, Azure, and other enterprise cloud environments.
- Experience with network automation, scripting, Python, and configuration management tools.
- Experience with large-scale enterprise WAN transformations and multi-site deployments.
- Experience working in a managed services provider (MSP) or systems integration environment.
Expected Deliverables
The individual will be expected to produce and/or lead the development of:
- Enterprise Cisco SD-WAN architecture and design recommendations.
- High-Level and Low-Level Design documentation.
- Cisco Catalyst 8000 Series router configuration standards and templates.
- Branch and data center deployment architectures.
- WAN migration and implementation plans.
- Network testing and validation plans.
- Customer-facing technical presentations and design reviews.
- Final as-built documentation and knowledge transfer to operational support teams.
Success Measures
Success in this role will be measured by:
- Quality, scalability, and reliability of network architecture and design deliverables.
- Successful implementation and migration of Cisco SD-WAN solutions.
- Ability to meet customer technical requirements and project objectives.
- Effective technical leadership and collaboration with engineering and project teams.
- Reduction in implementation issues through effective design, planning, and testing.
- Development of repeatable architecture standards and engineering best practices.
- Customer satisfaction and confidence in NDS's technical capabilities.
